Northwatch Command
by Wildmage of Emelan
Summary: General Vanget has been assassinated, and Northwatch is being overrun. Neal, at New Hope, recieves a mage-message from Numair, who is stationed at Northwatch. What will Kel do?
1. Prologue

Keladry of Mindelan stood on the rampart of the small, fortified town of New Hope. The last Scanran attack had been just a few hours ago. Miraculously, no one had been killed, although she had managed to get hit by a stray arrow. She rubbed her bandaged, aching right shoulder with her left hand. Maybe I should go find Neal, she thought.

Her best friend Nealan of Queenscove was a knight like she was, and had earned his shield the same Midwinter she had, for all that he was five years older than her.

Kel turned and descended from the north wall, heading for the infirmary. As if her thoughts had summoned him, Neal came running out, looking as white as if he had exhausted himself healing yet again. He was also heading straight for her.

"Meathead--", she began, using the much-hated nickname his cousin Domitan of Masbolle had given him. She was planning on scolding him for draining himelf again, but he cut her off.

"Kel, Master Numair just bespoke me from Northwatch. General Vanget was just taken out by a Scanran assassin. A Scanran army was waiting to attack when there was no commander. They're being overrrun."


	2. Volunteers

**A/N: Forgive me, it's another short chapter, but I need to think this all through a bit more. Wouldn't want to make it too easy for Kel, now would I? Also, as a warning for this chapter and possibly future ones, I think this is a bit OOC. Sorry!**

**-Wildmage of Emelan  
**

* * *

Kel's jaw dropped, her Yamani mask shattered by the news.

"WHAT?! How is that possible? Vanget's the one holding the border together! He has companies of soldiers and mages to protect him! And why would Master Numair contact _us_? I barely have seventy men to guard New Hope, how could I help? Lord Raoul or Lord Wyldon could do much better..." She knew that, for once in her life, she was babbling, but she couldn't stop.

"Anyway, how many people are attacking them?"

"Um..."

"HOW MANY?!"

"About... five hundred."

"FIVE HUNDRED! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO?! I HAVE SEVENTY TRAINED SOLDIERS WITH ME, THERE ARE HUNDREDS AT NORTHWATCH, THEY'RE BETTER EQUIPPED THAN ME!"

"Except they don't have a commander."

Kel breathed deeply, squashing her panic and shoving it away into a small corner of her mind.

"Agh, sorry Neal. Just caught me by surprise."

It was then that she looked up and realized that everyone who had been within earshot of her little rant was staring at her in fear and horror. Woops, need to be more quiet, she thought.

"Alright, I have an idea. Get everyone to meet at the flagpole, soldiers and refugees alike. Even the ones manning the walls, the Scanrans won't be coming back just yet." They both headed off in opposite directions, yelling at everyone they saw to go to the flagpole.

* * *

"Okay, here's what I know. Vanget's been assassinated by the Scanrans, who had an army waiting to attack once there was no commander. The soldiers are panicking and being slaughtered. Mater Numair managed to get the news out to Neal via mage-message." The refugees were all gasping and whispering to each other. Vanget dead? He was the one holding the border together! They were doomed...

"The besieging army numbers five hundred--" Kel was cut off as the more flighty refugees began screaming and yelling about how they were all going to killed and Tortall conquered by barbarians.

"And I would-- I would--" Kel fumed, no one could hear her over the little ninnies' screams. She pitched her voice to carry over distance, the way Lord Raoul had taught her when she was a squire.

"I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK, IF YOU'RE ALL DONE SHRIEKING AND MOANING AND DESPAIRING!" All the refugees froze, she NEVER yelled unless they were really doing something wrong.

"I want volunteers. I'm going to Northwatch, no matter how many people I have behind me. You've all been training with weapons, and I _know_ you can fight. You have done so on numerous occasions to defend New Hope. I will not take all the trained soldiers, you will still have protection. But I have faith that you will be able to defend this camp in my absence. I will take any man or woman who wishes to come with me, but I will _not_ take children." Her assistant Tobe opened his mouth to speak. Kel lowered her voice.

"Tobe, I will NOT take you with me. I will not risk children in a fight like this, even if you have been training." She began to speak more loudly once more.

"Anyone who does not wish to come will not be forced to. Anyone who does wish to, please come up here when I'm done speaking."


	3. Preparations

Kel turned and spoke to Neal.

"Meathead, _stay here_."

Neal opened his mouth to protest, but Kel cut him off.

"You'll be needed here when the Scanrans attack. You've the most training of all the healers in the camp. I'll be taking Merric with me as well, so they'll be looking to you for leadership. This is not to keep you safe. You'll be the one who has to lead them, so I hope Lady Alanna managed to stuff some swordsmanship into that Meathead of yours."

"Kel, you won't have a healer with you! Are you insane? You're going to the formerly 'impenetrable' fortress, whose commander was assassinated, you're outnumbered, and you don't know much about the situation! They could already have taken Northwatch by the time you arrive!"

"Which is why I need to go _now_, hopefully before they take Northwatch, and otherwise before they get settled in!"

They both realized they were yelling at each other again, and that all the refugees were staring at their commander and her best friend rant at each other. Neal turned red, but Kel managed to slip her blush behind her Yamani mask.

"Line up by the weapons you're most proficient with. Whatever you can use best, that's what you're taking. I don't care if you like bows more than spears, if you're better with a spear, that's what you're taking. Sergeants, split them as you like. You'll each be taking a group with each weapon. Merric, take a squad and go rouse any lazybones in the barracks who think they don't have to come to an assembly call."

A playful smile appeared on her face,

"You may wish to have some pitchers of cold water ready for any protesters. Everyone get your gear and meet at the gate in an hour."

She strode off, and was immediately waylaid by Fanche, who simply said,

"I can guarantee your healer will not be breathing by the end of the day. He's annoying. At least tell him he's confined to the infirmary aside from meals and that us helpless damsels don't need the help of a 'Meathead', I believe you called him."

"He's a good fighter, for all his whining and impertinence--"

"I _know_ he can fight. He was in your insane yet somehow successful rescue party. The whining and impertinence are what have me worried. And somehow I doubt our dear friend Idrius Valestone is going to stay quiet while you're absent."

"I'm sure you can help Idrius out if he requires it. Out of the camp, that is."

Fanche grinned,

"I'm not worried about that. I'm just worried what condition he's going to be in once he's actually out."

"Hm. Well for the Neal problem I just tell him I might need a practice partner for weapons training. If you do it, he'll be a bit mock uppity and accept. Then you can trounce him to your heart's content. Excuse me, but I'm afraid I need to get ready to depart."

"Very well. Good luck."

They went their separate ways, Kel dodging masses of people on her way to headquarters. Tobe was already waiting for her. She apologized hastily and struggled into her armor, belting on her seldom-used sword, Griffin, and grabbing her equally seldom-used shield, as well as her quiver of griffin- and normal-fletched arrows. She then hurried to the stables, where Tobe already had her glaive and was saddling her warhorse, Peachblossom.

She mounted up and took her glaive, her favorite weapon, and a present from her mother. Like Griffin, it's eighteen-inch steel blade rippled with blue waves of tempering, the mark of the finest steel money could buy. Maybe I should name my glaive, she thought idly. The weapon that the great 'Protector of the Small' uses the most doesn't have a name, yet her seldom-used sword does. Her thoughts were now annoyed. The cursed chamber had given her that name, and she hated it. Her friends drew no small amount of pleasure from calling her that, and informing her that she was a hero, which she also disliked and thought was complete rubbish.

Shaking off her restless thoughts, she rode to the gates of New Hope. Her Yamani mask broke again, her jaw dropping at the sheer number of refugees who had chosen to take up arms. Even more shocking was that nearly half of them were women.

Merric rode up to her, goggling at the lack of her Yamani mask even as she stared at the refugees. It was Merric who overcame his shock first.

"Kel, we're ready. There are three hundred refugees coming with us."

Kel's eyes didn't move from the refugees, although she managed to place her jaw back in place.

"Kel, are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah. Let's move out."

"Lead the way, my dear Protector of the Small"

Kel growled a curse at him in Yamani for the name, then legged Peachblossom up to the front of the company. She waved to a double handful of the refugees who were staying behind, and they pulled both leaves of the massive gate open. Kel hoisted her glaive up high in one hand and yelled,

"MOVE OUT!"

**A/N: Please can I have some reviews? It would make me happy!! I would still write my story anyways, because I absolutely despise people who set up good stories and then abandon them. (I don't know if my story is really a good story, but I'm hoping so. I won't know what you think unless you review, so please give me some feedback!) I didn't mention the names of any of the sergeants from _Lady Knight_, Tamora Pierce's (in my opinion) wonderful book, because I wasn't sure of what all of them were, plus I couldn't remember which ones were killed in the attack on Haven. Thanks!**

**-Wildmage of Emelan**


End file.
